One Dead In Florissant House Explosion

FLORISSANT (KTVI) – A Florissant man is dead following a house explosion he might have intentionally set. Firefighters discovered the body of 52-year-old Kirk Sayles while dousing the flames at 22 Floweridge Lane.

Police discovered a suicide note on the passenger seat of Sayles’ SUV.

Neighbors describe Sayles as someone who kept to himself. The explosion was Sunday just before 3 a.m. and caught neighbors completely off guard.

“You could feel it shaking the house,” said Doyle Ates.

“When we arrived on the scene we had a structure fully involved,” said Deputy Chief Scott Seppelt, Floirssant Valley Fire Protection District.

The explosion also created a natural gas leak. Firefighters used caution until the gas could be shut off. The fire was under control in about 30 minutes but all of the flames were not out until hours later.

Another neighbor said the blast sent him and his children running out of their home.

“My windows were busting out and smoke was coming in,” said Anthony King. “I thought maybe my house was on fire.”

The fire that followed the explosion also melted part of King’s siding.

Ates said he had never seen a fire like this one.

“All at once there was this tremendous explosion,” said Doyle Ates. “I looked out there and the whole house was just an inferno.”

King said surviving the blast just made him appreciate his life all the more.